Method, Apparatus and Computer Program Product for Providing Confirmed Over-The-Air Terminal Configuration

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for providing confirmed OTA terminal configuration includes a processing element configured to communicate configuration data to a mobile terminal. The processing element is also configured to initiate a. confirmation sequence to confirm proper receipt of the configuration data at the mobile terminal, and to receive information indicating whether the configuration data was properly received at the mobile terminal.

CONTINUING DATA

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/874,812, filed May 1, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/410,810, filed Apr. 25, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No.8,137,751, issued May 7, 2013, which include exemplary systems andmethods and are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to mobileelectronic device technology and, more particularly, relate to methods,apparatuses, and a computer program product for providing over-the-airconfirmation of configurations received at mobile electronic devices.

BACKGROUND

The modern communications era has brought about a tremendous expansionof wireline and wireless networks, Computer networks, televisionnetworks, and telephony networks are experiencing an unprecedentedtechnological expansion, fueled by consumer demand. Wireless and mobilenetworking technologies have addressed related consumer demands, whileproviding more flexibility and immediacy of information transfer.

Current and future networking technologies continue to facilitate easeof information transfer and convenience to users. One area in whichthere is a demand to increase case of information transfer relates tothe delivery of services to a user of a mobile terminal. The servicesmay be in the form of a particular media or communication applicationdesired by the user, such as a music player, a game player, anelectronic book, short messages, email, etc. The services may also be inthe form of interactive applications in which the user may respond to anetwork device in order to perform a task or achieve a goal. Theservices may be provided from applications stored at a network server orother network device, or even at the mobile terminal such as, forexample, a mobile telephone, a mobile television, a mobile gamingsystem, etc.

For applications which are not already supported at a mobile terminal orwhich are supported but not ready to use, it is often necessary for auser of the mobile terminal to receive configuration settings from thenetwork prior to launching an application. The configuration settingsmay be sent over-the-air (OTA) via a wireless communication network.Accordingly, if a new application is downloaded at the mobile terminal,the network will typically transmit corresponding configuration settingsto the mobile terminal which will enable the mobile terminal to launchthe application in the future. However, it is currently common that ifthe network sends configuration settings for a new application to theuser based on either a user or network initiated request, the networkwill not know whether the configuration settings have been properlyreceived at the mobile terminal unless the network is notified of suchfailure by the user. For example, the user may call a network help deskto request retransmission of the settings. Furthermore, even in certaincurrent systems which “confirm” receipt of configuration settings, theconfirmation is essentially merely a confirmation that the mobileterminal received at least some settings and not that correct settingshave been received. In any case, a failure to verify that properconfiguration settings have been received at the mobile terminal canlead to user dissatisfaction and increase consumption of networkresources in order to resolve trouble reports resulting from situationsin which proper configuration settings are not received at the mobileterminal.

In light of the shortcomings described above, there may be a need todevelop a configuration mechanism capable of verifying that correctconfiguration settings are received by a mobile terminal OTA.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Methods, apparatuses and a computer program product are thereforeprovided that enable confirmed OTA terminal configuration. Inparticular, a device management system is provided that is capable oftransmitting service configuration data to a mobile terminal andsubsequently initiating a confirmation sequence to verify that theservice configuration data has been correctly received at the mobileterminal Accordingly, in some situations, proper configuration mayautomatically be ensured prior to a failed user attempt to launch anapplication, thereby increasing user satisfaction and decreasing impactsupon network resources due to user trouble reporting.

In one exemplary embodiment, a method of providing confirmed OTAterminal configuration is provided. The method includes communicatingconfiguration data to a mobile terminal, initiating a confirmationsequence to confirm proper receipt of the configuration data at themobile terminal, and receiving information indicating whether heconfiguration data was properly received at the mobile terminal.

In another exemplary embodiment, a computer program product forproviding confirmed OTA terminal configuration is provided. The computerprogram product includes at least one computer-readable storage mediumhaving computer-readable program code portions stored therein. Thecomputer-readable program code portions include first, second and thirdexecutable portions. The first executable portion is for communicatingconfiguration data. to a mobile terminal. The second executable portionis for initiating a confirmation sequence to confirm proper receipt ofthe configuration data at the mobile terminal. The third executableportion is for receiving information indicating whether theconfiguration data was properly received at the mobile terminal.

In another exemplary embodiment, a method of providing confirmed OTAterminal configuration is provided. The method includes receiving arequest for establishing a server initiated session with a mobileterminal from a network device, sending a connection request to themobile terminal in response to receipt of the request for establishingthe server initiated session, communicating a sample message to themobile terminal in response to an indication of a connection with themobile terminal, and communicating a notification to the network devicein response to acknowledgment from the mobile terminal, the notificationincluding information indicating whether the configuration data wasproperly received at the mobile terminal.

In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus for providing confirmedOTA terminal configuration is provided. The apparatus includes aprocessing element configured to communicate configuration data to amobile terminal, initiate a confirmation sequence to confirm properreceipt of the configuration data at the mobile terminal, and receiveinformation indicating whether the configuration data was properlyreceived at the mobile terminal.

In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus for providing confirmedOTA terminal configuration is provided. The apparatus includes aprocessing element configured to receive a request for establishing aserver initiated session with a mobile terminal from a network device,send a. connection request to the mobile terminal in response to receiptof the request for establishing the server initiated session,communicate a sample message to the mobile terminal in response to anindication of a connection with the mobile terminal, and communicate anotification to the network device in response to acknowledgment fromthe mobile terminal, the notification including information indicatingwhether the configuration data was properly received at the mobileterminal.

In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus for providing confirmedOTA terminal configuration is provided. The apparatus includes a meansfor communicating configuration data to a mobile terminal, a means forinitiating a confirmation sequence to confirm proper receipt of theconfiguration data at the mobile terminal, and a means for receivinginformation indicating whether the configuration data was properlyreceived at the mobile terminal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described an embodiment of the invention in general terms,reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a mobile terminal according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless communications systemaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of portions of a system for providingconfirmed over-the-air (OTA) terminal configuration according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a control flow diagram for a method of providingconfirmed OTA terminal configuration according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a control flow diagram for a method of providingconfirmed OTA terminal configuration according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram according to an exemplary method for providingconfirmed OTA terminal configuration according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram according to an exemplary method for providingconfirmed OTA terminal configuration according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some,but not embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, examples of theinvention may be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicablelegal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elementsthroughout.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a mobile terminal 10 that wouldbenefit from embodiments of the present invention. It should beunderstood, however, that a mobile telephone as illustrated andhereinafter described is merely illustrative of one type of mobileterminal that would benefit from embodiments of the present inventionand, therefore, should not be taken to limit their scope. While severalembodiments of the mobile terminal 10 are illustrated and will behereinafter described for purposes of example, other types of mobileterminals, such as portable digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, mobiletelevisions, laptop computers, gaming devices and other types of voiceand text communications systems, can readily employ embodiments of thepresent invention.

In addition, while several embodiments of the method of the presentinvention are performed or used by a mobile terminal 10, the method maybe employed by other than a mobile terminal. Moreover, the system andmethod of various embodiments will be primarily described in conjunctionwith mobile communications applications. It should be understood,however, that the system and method of the various embodiments can beutilized in conjunction with a variety of other applications, both inthe mobile communications industries and outside of the mobilecommunications industries.

The mobile terminal 10 includes an antenna 12 in operable communicationwith a transmitter 14 and a receiver 16. The mobile terminal 10 furtherincludes a controller 20 or other processing element that providessignals to and receives signals from the transmitter 14 and receiver 16,respectively. The signals include signaling information in accordancewith the air interface standard of the applicable cellular system, andalso user speech and/or user generated data. In this regard, the mobileterminal 10 is capable of operating with one or more air interfacestandards, communication protocols, modulation types, and access types.By way of illustration, the mobile terminal 10 is capable of operatingin accordance with any of a number of first, second and/orthird-generation communication protocols or the like. For example, themobile terminal 10 may be capable of operating in accordance withsecond-generation (2G) wireless communication protocols IS-136 (TDMA),GSM, and IS-95 (CDMA), or with third-generation (3G) wirelesscommunication protocols, such as UMTS, CDMA2000, and TD-SCDMA.

It is understood that the controller 20 includes circuitry required forimplementing audio and logic functions of the mobile terminal 10. Forexample, the controller 20 may be comprised of a digital signalprocessor device, a microprocessor device, and various analog to digitalconverters, digital to analog converters, and other support circuits.Control and signal processing functions of the mobile terminal 10 areallocated between these devices according to their respectivecapabilities. The controller 20 thus may also include the functionalityto convolutionally encode and interleave message and data prior tomodulation and transmission. The controller 20 can additionally includean internal voice coder, and may include an internal data. modern.Further, the controller 20 may include functionality to operate one ormore software programs, which may be stored in memory. For example, thecontroller 20 may be capable of operating a connectivity program, suchas a conventional Web browser. The connectivity program may then allowthe mobile terminal 10 to transmit and receive Web content, such aslocation-based content, according to a Wireless Application Protocol(WAP), for example. Also, for example, the controller 20 may be capableof operating a software application capable of analyzing text andselecting music appropriate to the text. The music may be stored on themobile terminal 10 or accessed as Web content.

The mobile terminal 10 also comprises a user interface including anoutput device such as a conventional earphone or speaker 24, a ringer22, a microphone 26, a display 28, and a user input interface, all ofwhich are coupled to the controller 20. The user input interface, whichallows the mobile terminal 10 to receive data, may include any of anumber of devices allowing the mobile terminal 10 to receive data, suchas a keypad 30, a touch display (not shown) or other input device. Inembodiments including the keypad 30, the keypad 30 may include theconventional numeric (0-9) and related keys (#, *), and other keys usedfor operating the mobile terminal 10. Alternatively, the keypad 30 mayinclude a conventional QWERTY keypad arrangement. The mobile terminal 10further includes a battery 34, such as a vibrating battery pack, forpowering various circuits that are required to operate the mobileterminal 10, as well as optionally providing mechanical vibration as adetectable output.

The mobile terminal 10 may further include a universal identity module(UIM) 38. The UIM 38 is typically a memory device having a processorbuilt in. The UIM 38 may include, for example, a subscriber identitymodule (SIM), a universal integrated circuit card (UICC), a universalsubscriber identity module (USIM), a removable user identity module(R-UIM), etc. The UIM 38 typically stores information elements relatedto a mobile subscriber. In addition to the UIM 38, the mobile terminal10 may be equipped with memory. For example, the mobile terminal 10 mayinclude volatile memory 40, such as volatile Random Access Memory (RAM)including a cache area for the temporary storage of data. The mobileterminal 10 may also include other non-volatile memory 42, which can beembedded and/or may be removable. The non-volatile memory 42 canadditionally or alternatively comprise an EEPROM, flash memory or thelike, such as that available from the SanDisk Corporation of Sunnyvale,California, or Lexar Media Inc. of Fremont, Calif. The memories canstore any of a number of pieces of information, and data, used by themobile terminal 10 to implement the functions of the mobile terminal 10.For example, the memories can include an identifier, such as aninternational mobile equipment identification (IMEI) code, capable ofuniquely identifying the mobile terminal 10.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an illustration of one type of system thatwould benefit from embodiments of the present invention is provided. Thesystem includes a plurality of network devices. As shown, one or moremobile terminals 10 may each include an antenna. 12 for transmittingsignals to and for receiving signals from abuse site or base station(BS) 44. The base station 44 may be a part of one or more cellular ormobile networks each of which includes elements required to operate thenetwork, such as a mobile switching center (MSC) 46. As well known tothose skilled in the art, the mobile network may also be referred to asa Base Station/MSC/Interworking function (BMI). In operation, the MSC 46is capable of routing calls to and from the mobile terminal 10 when themobile terminal 10 is making and receiving calls. The MSC 46 can alsoprovide a connection to landline trunks when the mobile terminal 10 isinvolved in a call. In addition, the MSC 46 can be capable ofcontrolling the forwarding of messages to and from the mobile terminal10, and can also control the forwarding of messages for the mobileterminal 10 to and from a messaging center. It should be noted thatalthough the MSC 46 is shown in the system of FIG. 2, the MSC 46 ismerely an exemplary network device and embodiments of the presentinvention are not limited to use in a network employing an MSC.

The MSC 46 can be coupled to a data network, such as a local areanetwork (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), and/or a wide areanetwork (WAN). The MSC 46 can be directly coupled to the data network.In one typical embodiment, however, the MSC 46 is coupled to a GTW 48,and the GTW 48 is coupled to a WAN, such as the Internet 50. In turn,devices such as processing elements (e.g., personal computers, servercomputers or the like) can be coupled to the mobile terminal 10 via theInternet 50. For example, as explained below, the processing elementscan include one or more processing elements associated with a computingsystem 52 (two shown in FIG. 2), origin server 54 (one shown in FIG. 2)or the like, as described below.

The BS 44 can also be coupled to a signaling GPRS (General Packet RadioService) support node (SGSN) 56. As known to those skilled in the art,the SGSN 56 is typically capable of performing functions similar to theMSC 46 for packet switched services. The SGSN 56, like the MSC 46, canbe coupled to a data network, such as the Internet 50. The SGSN 56 canbe directly coupled to the data network. In a more typical embodiment,however, the SGSN 56 is coupled to a packet-switched core network, suchas a GPRS core network 58. The packet-switched core network is thencoupled to another GTW 48, such as a. GTW GPRS support node (GGSN) 60,and the GGSN 60 is coupled to the Internet 50. In addition to the GGSN60, the packet-switched core network can also be coupled to a GTW 48.Also, the GGSN 60 can be coupled to a messaging center. In this regard,the GGSN 60 and the SGSN 56, like the MSC 46, may be capable ofcontrolling the forwarding of messages, such as MMS messages. The GGSN60 and SGSN 56 may also be capable of controlling the forwarding ofmessages for the mobile terminal 10 to and from the messaging center.

In addition, by coupling the SGSN 56 to the GPRS core network 58 and theGGSN 60, devices such as a computing system 52 and/or origin server 54may be coupled to the mobile terminal 10 via the Internet 50, SGSN 56and GGSN 60. In this regard, devices such as the computing system 52and/or origin server 54 may communicate with the mobile terminal 10across the SGSN 56, GPRS core network 58 and the GGSN 60. By directly orindirectly connecting mobile terminals 10 and the other devices (e.g.,computing system 52, origin server 54, etc.) to the Internet 50, themobile terminals 10 may communicate with the other devices and with oneanother, such as according to the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), tothereby carry out various functions of the mobile terminals 10.

Although not every element of every possible mobile network is shown anddescribed herein, it should be appreciated that the mobile terminal 10may be coupled to one or more of any of a number of different networksthrough the BS 44. In this regard, the network(s) can be capable ofsupporting communication in accordance with any one or more of a numberof first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G and/orthird-generation (3G) mobile communication protocols or the like. Forexample, one or more of the network(s) can be capable of supportingcommunication in accordance with 2G wireless communication protocolsIS-136 (TDMA), GSM, and IS-95 (CDMA). Also, for example, one or more ofthe network(s) can be capable of supporting communication in accordancewith 2.5G wireless communication protocols GPRS, Enhanced Data GSMEnvironment (EDGE), or the like. Further, for example, one or more ofthe network(s) can be capable of supporting communication in accordancewith 3G wireless communication protocols such as Universal MobileTelephone System (UMTS) network employing Wideband Code DivisionMultiple Access (WCDMA) radio access technology. Some narrow-band AMPS(NAMPS), as well as TACS, network(s) may also benefit from embodimentsof the present invention, as should dual or higher mode mobile stations(e.g., digital/analog or TDMA/CDMA/analog phones).

The mobile terminal 10 can further be coupled to one or more wirelessaccess points (APs) 62. The APs 62 may comprise access points configuredto communicate with the mobile terminal 10 in accordance with techniquessuch as, for example, radio frequency (RF), Bluetooth (BT), infrared(IrDA) or any of a number of different wireless networking techniques,including wireless LAN (WLAN) techniques such as IEEE 802.11 (e.g.,802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, etc.), WiMAX techniques such as IEEE802.16, and/or ultra wideband (UWB) techniques such as IEEE 802.15 orthe like. The APs 62 may be coupled to the Internet 50. Like with theMSC 46, the APs 62 can be directly coupled to the Internet 50. In oneembodiment, however, the APs 62 are indirectly coupled to the Internet50 via a GTW 48. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the BS 44 may beconsidered as another AP 62, As will be appreciated, by directly orindirectly connecting the mobile terminals 10 and the computing system52, the origin server 54, and/or any of a number of other devices, tothe Internet 50, the mobile terminals 10 can communicate with oneanother, the computing system, etc,, to thereby carry out variousfunctions of the mobile terminals 10, such as to transmit data, contentor the like to, and/or receive content, data or the like from, thecomputing system 52. As used herein, the terms “data,” “content,”“information” and similar terms may be used interchangeably to refer todata capable of being transmitted, received and/or stored in accordancewith embodiments of the present invention. Thus, use of any such termsshould not be taken to limit the spirit and scope of the embodiments ofthe invention.

Although not shown in FIG. 2, in addition to or in lieu of coupling themobile terminal 10 to computing systems 52 across the Internet 50, themobile terminal 10 and computing system 52 may be coupled to one anotherand communicate in accordance with, for example, RF, BT. IrDA or any ofa number of different wireline or wireless communication techniques,including LAN, WLAN, WiMAX and/or UWB techniques. One or more of thecomputing systems 52 can additionally, or alternatively, include aremovable memory capable of storing content, which can thereafter betransferred to the mobile terminal 10. Further, the mobile terminal 10can be coupled to one or more electronic devices, such as printers,digital projectors and/or other multimedia capturing, producing and/orstoring devices (e.g., other terminals). Like with the computing systems52, the mobile terminal 10 may be configured to communicate with theportable electronic devices in accordance with techniques such as, forexample, RF, BT. IrDA or any of a number of different wireline orwireless communication techniques, including USB, LAN, WLAN, WiMAXand/or UWB techniques.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention will now be described withreference to FIG. 3, in which certain elements of a system for providingconfirmed over-the-air (OTA) terminal configuration are displayed. Thesystem of FIG. 3 may include, for example, the mobile terminal 10 ofFIG. 1. However, it should be noted that the system of FIG. 3, may alsobe employed in conjunction with a variety of other devices, both mobileand fixed, and therefore, the embodiments of the present inventionshould not be limited to application with devices such as the mobileterminal 10 of FIG. 1. It should also be noted, however, that while FIG.3 illustrates one example of a configuration of a system for providingefficient evaluation in feature transformation, numerous otherconfigurations may also be used to implement embodiments of the presentinvention.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a system for providing confirmed OTA terminalconfiguration is provided. The system includes the mobile terminal 10and network devices including a device management element 70, and aserver 72 such as a value added server. It should be noted that althoughFIG. 3 illustrates the device management element 70 as being a separateelement from the server 72, the device management element 70 and theserver 72 may also be collocated or embodied in a single module,apparatus or device capable of performing the functions of bath thedevice management element 70 and the server 72. Additionally,communication between the mobile terminal 10, the device managementelement 70 and the server 72 may be either wired or wireless. However,according to an exemplary embodiment, communication between either thedevice management element 70 or the server 72 and the mobile terminal 10are conducted wirelessly (i.e., OTA), for example, in accordance withany of the communication mechanisms described above. Meanwhile,communication between the device management element 70 and the server 72may be either wired or wireless.

The device management element 70 may be any device or means embodied ineither hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and softwarecapable of transmitting configuration data to the mobile terminal 10 andsubsequently initiating a confirmation sequence. In an exemplaryembodiment, the device management element 70 may be embodied in softwareas instructions that are stored on a memory of a network device andexecuted by a processing element. Alternatively, the device managementelement 70 may include a memory device 74 and a processing element 76capable of executing instructions stored on the memory device 74 inwhich the instructions include code portions for initiating theconfirmation sequence and transmitting configuration data (i.e. serviceconfiguration settings) to the mobile terminal 10. Accordingly, thedevice management element 70 may include storage for configuration datafor transmission to the mobile terminal 10. Alternatively, the devicemanagement element 70 may be capable of accessing the configuration dataat another network element or device, and thereafter, transmitting theconfiguration data to the mobile terminal 10. The device managementelement 70 may be capable of transmitting the configuration data, forexample, in response to a user request initiated at the mobile terminal10, in response to input by a network operator, or automatically inresponse to network side or user end originated stimuli. In other words,the configuration data. may be either pulled from the device managementelement 70 by the mobile terminal 10 or pushed to the mobile terminal 10from the device management element 70.

The server 72 may be any device or means embodied in either hardware,software, or a combination of hardware and software capable of providinga service for which corresponding configuration data stored or otherwiseaccessible at an external device enables the external device to accessthe service. In an exemplary embodiment, the server 72 may be anabstract server that provides a service such as, for example, wirelessapplication protocol (WAP), multimedia message service (MMS),Push-to-talk over cellular (PoC), session initiation protocol (SIP),etc. The server 72 may include a memory device 80 and a processingelement 82 capable of executing instructions stored on the memory device80. Accordingly, the memory device 80 may store instructions forexecution by the processing element 82 in order to early out particularfunctions or applications associated with the server 72. In an exemplaryembodiment, the server 72 may include an application program interface(API) for communicating with the device management element 70 in orderto enable the server 72 to trigger a server initiated session with themobile terminal 10 in response to a request from the device managementelement 70. In other words, the server 72 may include an API forinitiating a confirmation sequence in response to a request from thedevice management element 70. According to an exemplary embodiment,during the confirmation sequence, the server 72 may request a connectionwith the mobile terminal 10, which, if opened, enables the server 72 tosend a sample message or sample content to the mobile terminal 10 inorder to verify proper receipt of the configuration data. The server 72may then notify the device management element 70 of the proper receiptof the configuration data at the mobile terminal 10.

It should be noted that the processing elements 76 and 82 may beembodied in many ways. For example, the processing elements 76 and 82may be embodied as a processor, a coprocessor, a controller or variousother processing means or devices including integrated circuits such as,for example, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit).

FIGS. 4 and 5 each illustrate a control flow diagram according to anexemplary method for providing confirmed OTA terminal configuration. Inthis regard, FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which configuration datais properly received at the mobile terminal 10. It will be assumed indescribing FIGS. 4 and 5, that configuration data (i.e., settings forservice configuration) to support a service or an application (e.g.,WAP, MMS, PoC, SIP, etc.) have been requested or otherwise indicated tobe delivered to the mobile terminal 10. For example, the configurationdata may be requested by the user of the mobile terminal 10 via aninitiation event or trigger as part of a self service program.Accordingly, the user may call a particular phone number, send a shortmessage service (SMS) message, activate a link at a particular website,etc., in order to request the configuration data directly, or requestthe application or service which requires associated configuration datain order for the application or service to be accessible by the mobileterminal 10. As an alternative example, a network operator or othernetwork device may initiate transmission of the configuration data, forexample, to send configuration data corresponding to an upgradedapplication, a free application, a trial application, a repair, a bugfix, etc. to the mobile terminal 10.

Accordingly, following receipt of any such initiation event or triggeras described above or otherwise suitable at the device managementelement 70, the device management element 70 transmits or otherwisecommunicates configuration data 100 to the mobile terminal 10. Followingcommunication of the configuration data 100 to the mobile terminal 10,the device management element 70 waits a predetermined period of timebefore initiating a confirmation sequence by sending a session requestmessage 102 to the server 72. The predetermined period of time may beany time period. However, relatively short seconds or minutes) orrelatively long time periods (i.e. days) may not be practical. Forexample, if the predetermined period of time is too short, theconfiguration data 100 may not be fully received at the mobile terminal10 due to network delays. Meanwhile, if the predetermined period of timeis too long, the user of the mobile terminal 10 may launch or attempt tolaunch the application corresponding to the configuration settings 100during the predetermined period of time, thereby either obviating anyneed or desire to confirm proper receipt of the configuration data 100(since a successful launch of the application will confirm properreceipt) or subject the user to undesirable aggravation (if theapplication fails to launch due to failure to properly receive theconfiguration data). Regardless of a length of the predetermined periodof time, if the user successfully launches the application at any timebetween transmission of the configuration data 100 and completion of theconfirmation sequence, the confirmation sequence may be terminated orpreempted, since confirmation of proper receipt of the configurationdata 100 will have been provided by the successful launch of theapplication. Unsuccessful user attempts to launch the application mayhave no effect on the confirmation sequence. The confirmation sequence,which in this exemplary embodiment includes each of the messagesexchanged and described below in connection with reference numerals 102to 112, confirms OTA proper receipt of the configuration data 100 at themobile terminal 10.

The session request message 102 requests that the server 72 establish asession with the mobile terminal 10 to enable confirmation that theconfiguration data 100 was properly received at the mobile terminal 10.In response to receipt of the session request message 102, the server 72may send an indication 104 to the mobile terminal 10. The indication 104may request a server initiated session with the mobile terminal 10. Forexample, the indication 104 may be an MMS message indicating to themobile terminal 10 that the server 72 has information for the mobileterminal 10. In response to receipt of the indication 104, the mobileterminal 10 may establish a connection with the server 72, For example,the mobile terminal 10 may send a receive MMS 106 to the server 72requesting the information from the server 72 via the connection. Inresponse to receipt of the receive MMS 106, the server 72 may transmitsample content 108 to the mobile terminal 10 via the connection. Thesample content 108 may be, for example, pre-recorded information such asa sample MMS. In response to receipt of the sample content 108, themobile terminal 10 may send an acknowledgment 110 which is indicativethat the sample content 108 has been received at the mobile terminal 10.By virtue of the mobile terminal 10 being able to properly communicatewith the server 72 to acknowledge receipt of the sample content 108,proper receipt of the configuration data 100 at the mobile terminal 10is confirmed,

In response to receipt of the acknowledgment 110, the server 72 sends anotification message 112 to the device management element 70 to indicatethat the configuration data 100 has been properly received at the mobileterminal 10. In response to receipt of the notification message 112, thedevice management element 70 may refrain from any further attempts totransmit the configuration data 100 to the mobile terminal 10,

It should be noted that although the preceding was described in thecontext of an embodiment in which the device management element 70requests that the server 72 conducts the confirmation sequence, otherembodiments are also possible. For example, in one exemplary embodiment,the device management element 70 may itself execute the confirmationsequence. In other words, messages described above as originating at theserver 72 may instead originate at the device management element 70 andcommunication between the server 72 and the device management element 70would not be necessary. Furthermore, according to this exemplaryembodiment, the mobile terminal 10 may receive the request for theserver initiated session and the sample content from the devicemanagement element 70 and subsequently acknowledge receipt of the samplecontent to the device management element 70.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example in which configuration data is notproperly received at the mobile terminal 10. Following receipt of anyinitiation event or trigger as described above, the device managementelement 70 transmits or otherwise communicates the configuration data100 to the mobile terminal 10. Following communication of theconfiguration data 100, the device management element 70 waits thepredetermined period of time before initiating the confirmation sequenceby sending the session request message 102 to the server 72. In responseto receipt of the session request message 102, the server 72 may sendthe indication 104 to the mobile terminal 10 such as the MMS messageindicating to the mobile terminal 10 that the server 72 has informationfor the mobile terminal 10. In a case in which the configuration data100 is not properly received at the mobile terminal 10, the mobileterminal 10 may not establish a connection with the server 72. Theserver 72 may include (or otherwise be in communication with) a timer 90capable, for example, of “timing out” in response to expiration of apredetermined period of time between sending the indication 104 andreceiving a connection with the mobile terminal 10. Accordingly, if thetimer 90 times out before the connection is established, the timer 90may send a failure notification message 120 to the device managementelement 70 indicating that the configuration data 100 has not beenproperly received at the mobile terminal 10, Accordingly, the devicemanagement element 70 may retransmit the configuration data 100 to themobile terminal 10 and, after the predetermined period of time, initiateanother confirmation sequence as described above.

It should be noted that although e preceding exemplary embodimentdescribed the timer 90 disposed in communication with the server 72, inan alternative exemplary embodiment, the device management element 70may include a timing element 92 instead of or in addition to the timer90 disposed in communication with the server 72. Accordingly, the timingelement 92 of the device management element 70 may “time out” if thenotification message 112 is not received from the server 72 within apredetermined period of time from the transmission of the sessionrequest message 102. Additionally or alternatively, in an exemplaryembodiment, the timing element 71 may be configured to send an inquiry122 to the server 72 to check whether the acknowledgment 110 has beenreceived by the server 72 at predetermined intervals. In such anexemplary embodiment, the server 72 may be configured to send thenotification message 112 in response to receipt of the inquiry 122instead of sending the notification message 112 in response to receiptof the acknowledgment 110. Furthermore, the processing element 76 may beconfigured to send a predetermined number of inquiries at intervalscontrolled by the timing element 92 and, in response to failing toreceive the notification message 112 after sending the predeterminednumber of inquiries, it may be assumed that the configuration data 100was not properly received at the mobile terminal 10. Accordingly, thedevice management element 70 may retransmit the configuration data 100.In an exemplary embodiment, the device management element 70 may includea limited number of retries, which specifies a predetermined number ofattempts at transmitting the configuration data 100 which the devicemanagement element 70 may undertake in response to any of theindications above of a failure to properly receive the configurationdata 100 at the mobile terminal 10.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are flowcharts of a system, method and program productaccording to exemplary embodiments of the invention. It will beunderstood that each block or step of the flowcharts, and combinationsof blocks in the flowcharts, can be implemented by various means, suchas hardware, firmware, and or software including one or more computerprogram instructions. For example, one or more of the proceduresdescribed above may be embodied by computer program instructions. Inthis regard, the computer program instructions which embody theprocedures described above may be stored by a memory device of themobile terminal and executed by a built-in processor in the mobileterminal. As will be appreciated, any such computer program instructionsmay be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus (i.e.,hardware) to produce a machine, such that the instructions which executeon the computer or other programmable apparatus create means forimplementing the functions specified in the flowcharts block(s) orstep(s). These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that theinstructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an articleof manufacture including instruction means which implement the functionspecified in the flowcharts block(s) step(s). The computer programinstructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmableapparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus to produce acomputer-implemented process such that the instructions which execute onthe computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps forimplementing the functions specified in the flowcharts block(s) orstep(s).

Accordingly, blocks or steps of the flowcharts support combinations ofmeans for performing the specified functions, combinations of steps forperforming the specified functions and program instruction means forperforming the specified functions. It will also be understood that oneor more blocks or steps of the flowcharts, and combinations of blocks orsteps in the flowcharts, can be implemented by special purposehardware-based computer systems which perform the specified functions orsteps, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computerinstructions.

In this regard, FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of a method of providingconfirmed OTA terminal configuration which includes communicatingconfiguration data to a mobile terminal at operation 200. At operation210, a confirmation sequence is initiated to confirm proper receipt ofthe configuration data at the mobile terminal. At operation 220,information is received indicating whether the configuration data wasproperly received at the mobile terminal. In an exemplary embodiment, asdescribed above, the confirmation sequence initiation may include theestablishment of a connection with the mobile terminal and the sendingof a sample message to the mobile terminal to verify that theconfiguration data was properly received at the mobile terminal. In analternative exemplary embodiment, the confirmation sequence may beperformed by a network device such as a server. The method may includesending an inquiry to the network device to request informationregarding whether the configuration data was properly received at themobile terminal.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of a method of providing confirmed OTAterminal configuration which includes the confirmation sequence asdescribed above. This exemplary method may include receiving a requestfor establishing a server initiated session with a mobile terminal froma network device at operation 300. At operation 310, a connectionrequest is sent to the mobile terminal in response to receipt of therequest for establishing the server initiated session. A sample messageis communicated to the mobile terminal response to an indication of aconnection with the mobile terminal at operation 320. At operation 330,a notification is communicated to the network device in response toacknowledgment from the mobile terminal. The notification includesinformation indicating whether the configuration data was properlyreceived at the mobile terminal.

The above described functions may be carried out in many ways. Forexample, any suitable means for carrying out each of the functionsdescribed above may be employed to carry out embodiments of theinvention. In one embodiment, all or a portion of the elements ofembodiments of the invention generally operate under control of acomputer program product. The computer program product for performingthe methods of embodiments of the invention includes a computer-readablestorage medium, such as the non-volatile storage medium, andcomputer-readable program code portions, such as a series of computerinstructions, embodied in the computer-readable storage medium.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which embodimentsof these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachingspresented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings.Therefore, it is to be understood that embodiments of the inventions arenot to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and thatmodifications and other embodiments are intended to be included withinthe scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employedherein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and notfor purposes of limitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving configuration dataat a mobile terminal from a device management element; receiving, from aserver, a request for a connection between the mobile terminal and theserver, the request generated by the server in response to initiation ofa confirmation sequence by the device management element, the devicemanagement element being a separate element from the server; sending, bythe mobile terminal, information indicating whether the configurationdata was properly received at the mobile terminal; and receiving, at themobile terminal, re-communication of the configuration data from thedevice management element in response to an indication that theconfiguration data was not properly received at the mobile terminal. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the information indicating whether theconfiguration data was properly received at the mobile terminal is sentby the mobile terminal to the server.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe information indicating whether the configuration data was properlyreceived is information sent during the execution of an applicationsupported by the configuration data.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe request for the connection between the mobile terminal and theserver is initiated in response to an expiration of a timer associatedwith the transmission of the configuration data to the mobile terminal.5. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting, by the mobileterminal, the configuration data from the device management element andwherein the configuration data is sent to the mobile terminal inresponse to the request by the mobile terminal.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein the request for connection between the mobile terminal andthe server comprises a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message. 7.The method of claim 6, further comprising sending a message from themobile terminal to the server in response to receiving the request forthe connection from the server, the message from the mobile terminalrequesting information from the server.
 8. The method of claim 7,further comprising: receiving, at the mobile terminal, sample content;and sending, to the server, an acknowledgement indicating that thesample content was received.
 9. A computer program product comprising atleast one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readableprogram code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program codeportions comprising instructions executable by a processor for:receiving configuration data at a mobile terminal from a devicemanagement element; receiving, from a server, a request for a connectionbetween the mobile terminal and the server, the request generated by theserver in response to initiation of a confirmation sequence by thedevice management element, the device management element being aseparate element from the server; sending, by the mobile terminal,information indicating whether the configuration data was properlyreceived at the mobile terminal; and receiving, at the mobile terminal,re-communication of the configuration data from the device managementelement in response to an indication that the configuration data was notproperly received at the mobile terminal.
 10. The computer programproduct of claim 9, wherein the information indicating whether theconfiguration data was properly received at the mobile terminal is sentby the mobile terminal to the server.
 11. The computer program productof claim 9, wherein the information indicating whether the configurationdata was properly received is information sent during the execution ofan application supported by the configuration data.
 12. The computerprogram product of claim 9, wherein the request for the connectionbetween the mobile terminal and the server is initiated in response toan expiration of a timer associated with the transmission of theconfiguration data to the mobile terminal.
 13. The computer programproduct of claim 9, wherein the computer-readable program code portionsfurther comprise instructions executable by a processor for: requesting,by the mobile terminal, the configuration data from the devicemanagement element and wherein the configuration data is sent to themobile terminal in response to the request by the mobile terminal. 14.The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the request forconnection between the mobile terminal and the server comprises amultimedia messaging service (MMS) message.
 15. The computer programproduct of claim 14, wherein the computer-readable program code portionsfurther comprise instructions executable by the processor for: sending amessage from the mobile terminal to the server in response to receivingthe request for the connection from the server, the message from themobile terminal requesting information from the server.
 16. The computerprogram product of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable program codeportions further comprise instructions executable by the processor for:receiving, at the mobile terminal, sample content; and sending, to theserver, an acknowledgement indicating that the sample content wasreceived.
 17. An apparatus comprising: a processing element; memorycoupled to the processing element, the memory storing instructionsexecutable by the processing element for: receiving configuration dataat a mobile terminal from a device management element; receiving, from aserver, a request for a connection between the mobile terminal and theserver, the request generated by the server in response to initiation ofa confirmation sequence by the device management element, the devicemanagement element being a separate element from the server; sending, bythe mobile terminal, information indicating whether the configurationdata was properly received at the mobile terminal; and receiving, at themobile terminal, re-communication of the configuration data from thedevice management element in response to an indication that theconfiguration data was not properly received at the mobile terminal. 18.The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the information indicating whetherthe configuration data was properly received at the mobile terminal issent by the mobile terminal to the server.
 19. The apparatus of claim17, wherein the information indicating whether the configuration datawas properly received is information sent during the execution of anapplication supported by the configuration data.
 20. The apparatus ofclaim 17, wherein the request for the connection between the mobileterminal and the server is initiated in response to an expiration of atimer associated with the transmission of the configuration data to themobile terminal.
 21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein thecomputer-readable program code portions further comprise instructionsexecutable by a processor for: requesting, by the mobile terminal, theconfiguration data from the device management element and wherein theconfiguration data is sent to the mobile terminal in response to therequest by the mobile terminal.
 22. The apparatus of claim 17, whereinthe request for connection between the mobile terminal and the servercomprises a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message.
 23. Theapparatus of claim 22, further comprising instructions executable by theprocessing element for: sending a message from the mobile terminal tothe server in response to receiving the request for the connection fromthe server, the message from the mobile terminal requesting informationfrom the server.
 24. apparatus of claim 23, further comprisinginstructions executable by the processing element for: receiving, at themobile terminal, sample content; and sending, to the server, anacknowledgement indicating that the sample content was received.